Branding and Brand Strategy for Growing Companies
Branding for Restless Companies and Driven Entrepreneurs
After learning my clients had generated over $4 billion in revenue in 2024, I wanted today’s article to be insightful by sharing my entrepreneurial journey. ACTION TIP #1: Know your niche, own the spaceDefine what you do better than anyone else, and own that narrative relentlessly. If your brand doesn’t dominate a specific conversation, it’s …
Brands like Oatly have successfully differentiated themselves and become one of today’s iconic brands through bold and irreverent visual styles, creating a unique space in crowded categories. Some stats help frame the importance of this: Iconic brands succeed by questioning assumptions, embracing trust, and delivering unexpected customer experiences. These two quotes from my new bestseller …
CEO excellence is built on something invisible: Ideas. Recently, Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of KnowBe4, the global leader in Security Awareness Training, put out the original version of THE KNOWSTER PLAYBOOK as low-cost as possible to make it super easy for 2000+ Knowsters worldwide to buy it and read their own physical copy. Stu had one …
Jaguar went neon models. Mercedes went chicken. Neither ad showed product. One worked. The other had the lifespan of a crash-dummy test. Jaguar’s recent ad campaign was a spectacle of neon-colored models. Where were the cars? What was the message? It felt more like a fashion show on LSD than a car commercial. By contrast, …
. When George Bryant, a New York Times bestselling author and podcast host extraordinaire, who helps others achieve business success invited me to join him for a conversation, I knew it was going to be more than just a chat. It was going to be a branding smackdown—the kind that wakes up businesses stuck in …
Santa’s got his list, and he’s checking it twice — but this year, there’s a curveball: David Brier’s new book, Rich Brand Poor Brand: How to Unleash Your David in a World of Goliaths. Will David and his book land on the “Nice” list or stir up so much branding controversy that it’s considered downright mischievous? Let’s dive in. …
Codie Sanchez and I don’t just share a passion for rethinking success—we’re also book neighbors. Her Mainstreet Millionaire and my Rich Brand Poor Brand debut just 24 hours apart. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it’s proof that bold ideas have impeccable timing. Codie’s focus is on empowering individuals to unlock wealth through small business ownership. My focus? Showing companies how …
Loyalty doesn’t mean conformity or tolerating a “cancel culture” environment. Let that sink in. True loyalty involves critical thinking because one is being loyal to the overall purpose, not merely saying “yes” because it’s the acceptable thing to do. Here’s the kicker: Cancel culture doesn’t just “happen.” It thrives where weak leaders reign—where toxic workplaces …
Oh, that new Jaguar logo and rebrand? “Disaster” doesn’t even scratch the surface. They’ve officially downgraded from sleek predator to confused house cat. “What some call strategy, others call tragedy.” This is the brand that gave us the E-Type—literal sex on wheels—once called “the most beautiful car ever made” by Enzo Ferrari. And now? A …
In a world where the rules of business shift faster than a trending meme, Rich Brand Poor Brand is the business book no business can afford to skip if they plan to compete and grow in 2025. And it goes on sale December 4th. Are you experiencing: The Best Business Book for 2025? This game-changing …
Word salads are ruining brands. And they’re destroying your business. What is a word salad? A jumble of fancy words tossed together, hoping it tastes like a story. But really, it just leaves us hungry for a point. Word Salads are Not a Small Issue ❌ They confuse customers.❌ They ruin brand stories.❌ They send …
Nike, the global juggernaut known for “Just Do It,” is no stranger to breaking molds and pushing boundaries. This might be the most important thing you read in 2024. It’s how to transform your brand from ordinary to iconic. And a lesson in simplicity. And focus. The Nike Mindset: Their Unfair Advantage Here’s the thing: …
I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Explorer, TED Talk speaker, and recipient of the United Nations Visionary Award. I immediately fell in love with Elizabeth’s love and respect for the power of storytelling. Two Hearts. One Mind. This video is the result of our relationship blossoming during the …
At different times in his life, Simon Sinek wasn’t certain: • He’d write best-selling books,• He’d deliver one of the most-watched TED Talks,• He’d become a global thought leader. But that didn’t stop him from starting,learning, growing, and making a real impact. One idea at a time.One follower at a time. Fast forward to today: Simon Sinek is …
What if you could get Warren Buffett’s best advice? For investing. For branding. For legacy building. For picking winners. Is Warren’s genius just about crunching numbers? In a word, no. The Oracle of Omaha has some killer insights on branding that might open your eyes. Here are two insights straight from Warren’s mouth: Buffett’s always …
Recently, I wrote an article on “clear brand messaging” and it was so popular, I decided to write this follow-up article on “Clear Brand Messaging in 2024.” Because customers today demand more. They are skeptical. They’ve been overpromised and underdelivered to. How does a brand succeed in this climate? Forget shouting louder. Here’s how to …
Are you one of the nonprofits lost in the sea of sameness? If so, you’re losing donors, supporters, and volunteers. And I am talking about something you have 100% control over: your brand. Having just completed two new nonprofit brands, I decided to write this new article to help nonprofits slay some dragons. Let’s dive in. …
How do you take a color technician and curly hair specialist and disrupt the hair care industry? By finding a whole category everyone was busy ignoring. Everyone was so busy promising the same old regurgitations that nobody bothered to look at an entire opportunity hiding in plain sight. How I Reinvented a New Category in …
As I came across Nathan Barry’s ConvertKit that’s about to morph into something entirely new, I felt that I must share the best branding method I know. Is it because I use ConvertKit? Partly yes. But more so because a rebrand isn’t just a name change, or new skin as in a new logo; it’s …
There’s a good time to get your brand in shape and a shitty time to do it. Building a brand is like riding a wild rollercoaster. One minute you’re on top of the world, and the next, you’re getting tossed around like your favorite piece of clothing in the dryer. When your brand feels like …
In the last 4 months, I have written some of the most powerful about the most powerful rebranding strategies to implement in 2024. In fact, these are nine powerful articles in total. And I wanted to make this instantly available to you. They roll out like this: February 6: CEOWORLDRebranding Disasters: How to Avoid the …
The last 10 years for solopreneurs has been, in a word, a shitstorm. It’s why I am writing this crucial article right now. The Globe and Mail based in Toronto, Ontario documented a shift over the last decade between public sectors, private sectors and solopreneurs. It’s jaw-dropping. But that is just the symptom. The cause …
In absence of a truly useful guide to rebranding, CEOs and companies are left guessing. What’s worse is the metrics can get really screwed up. Things like “likes” and “mentions” becomes the only metric that anyone pays attention to. It’s why I ended up showing 11 companies below how they rose above the noise. I …
Just the other day, I had the thrill of diving deep into the branding stratosphere with William Harris, the visionary CEO of Elumynt. After an amazing month with 5 feature articles in February alone, I sat down and dropped a masterclass in branding: In order of appearance, here they are; Now Picture This An advertising …
Sam Cox created a bold and compelling brand, is a 28-year-old illustrator born in Kent, England, a multi-million-dollar auction sensation and known as “Mr. Doodle.” Too many brands take themselves too seriously. Sam is a prime example of how one artist takes his art so unseriously that the world stops, applauds, and asks for more. Where …
